The use of aluminum clad panels for exterior, building facings has been known in the prior art for some period of time.
Aluminum Composite Cladding Systems are generally comprised of Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) panels, where panel flatness and a high performance finish are essential. Made from two sheets of aluminum bonded to a thermoplastic core, ACM is strong yet lightweight and with the right product knowledge and equipment, can be fabricated into components and systems that outperform other cladding materials in most situations.
The following prior art discloses the various aspects in the design and use of the joined interlocking aluminum sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,987, granted May 10, 1977, to Fritz Schnebel, et al., discloses the use of tie beams and girders for use in retaining façades constructed from prefabricated elements. A façade is mounted thereon simply by attaching a retaining strip and interposing packing elements, whereupon the tie beams and girders of aluminum are capable of absorbing horizontal or vertical displacements of the façade within a specific tolerance range.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,029, granted Jan. 5, 1984, to Ronald D. Sukolics, provides a clip having an inward force or pressure, wherein panel interlocks, which are ridges running longitulinally along the length of side, press against the panel member, having grooves on the inner sides of the turned down edges. (Column 2, lines 41-48) The citation further states, at Column 2, line 46: “An insert strip 26 is located between turned down edges 22 such that grooves 24 are maintained in cooperation with interlocks 18 and 20.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,315, granted Dec. 1, 1998, to William H. Porter, discloses an insulated structural panel with a flat insulating core, first and second outer facings attached to opposed lateral surfaces of the insulating core, with a liner, elongated metal strip disposed between and attached to the insulating core and the first outer facing to the extended length of the panel for increasing the bending strength of the panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,629, granted Oct. 29, 2002, to R. M. Haddock, discloses an apparatus for securing members to a surface. The apparatus includes a mounting clamp, a mounting adaptor, a panel support member and a fastener. The panel support member and the mounting adaptor are slidably interconnected to one another. The mounting adaptor is fixedly interconnected to the mounting clamps using the fastener. The mounting adaptor may also include an area of reduced strength to permit the controlled failure of the apparatus in response to excess loading. The panel support member may be adapted to receive a panel. When installed on a surface, the apparatus obscures the view of mounting devices or equipment that may also be secured to the surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,147, granted Nov. 16, 2004, to Douglas B. MacDonald, discloses a clip for panel trim that is a U-shaped flexible member defining a base and extending arms with end portions extending inwardly for insertion in openings of a partition frame member to retain the clip on the frame so that the base is separated from the frame for routing of utility lines on the partition frame member and through the clip.
What is needed is a coplanar ACM panel mounting system, utilizing a clip for retaining said ACM panels in forming a facing construction system, wherein the said novel clip is adapted to be removably secured to a substructure frame. In this regard, the present invention fulfils this need.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coplanar ACM panel mounting system, utilizing a clip having a pair of deformable sidewall arms rising from a base at proximately right angles, wherein said arms and base define a U-shaped clamping member for the insertion and retention of ACM panels therein.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a deformable clip formed in an extrusion process, whereby adjacent ACM panels can be aligned in a coplanar formation to obtain a smooth surface in either a flat, cylindrical, curved or wave formation facing and wherein a plurality of coplanar panels can be positioned to form a multiplanar array.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a clip as a structural element having a hole in the base, coacting with an associated mounting screw, for removably fastening the clip to a supporting frame, thereby forming a non-progressive system that enables removal of individual panels for replacement or repair.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide an extrudable frame member having a pair of pedestaled leg extending downward from the base of the extruded channel to prevent the base of the frame member from contacting the hard surfaces of cement and brick.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide an extruded frame member having a friction grip comprising a sawtooth edge on an internal portion of each arm extending upward from the base of the extrudable frame member that forms a frictional retention means.
A better understanding of these and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawings.